Resolving the NullPointerException in Process Portal after upgrading to WebSphere Lombardi Edition (WLE) Version 7.2.0 Fix Pack 4"

A NullPointerException exception occurs in the following function call: SearchAPIFacadeCore.findSearchableBusinessDataAliasesForProcessInstances

There are two ways to resolve this issue. You can use a short term local fix that involves an update to a configuration file. Or, you can use a more permanent hot fix, which ensures that the issue does not occur again.

Local Fix:
You can work around this issue by making the following configuration change:

1. Locate the [WLE_INSTALL_DIR]\process-server\config\100Custom.xml file.
   
   
2. Add the following XML code to the file:
   <properties>
     <server merge="mergeChildren">
        <portal merge="mergeChildren">
           <use-business-aliases-for-process-instances>false
           </use-business-aliases-for-process-instances>
        </portal>
     </server>
   </properties>
   
   
3. Restart the server.
   
   

You will not get this exception because it will not use that bit of code to limit and sort your Business Data Aliases.

Note: If you have a clustered environment, you must update the 100Custom.xml files at the cluster level and all cluster member-level 100Custom.xml files. For example, modify the following file for all node and member combinations of the Process Server cluster:

[ DMGR-PROFILE-DIR]\config\cells\cell_name\clusters\cluster_name\process-server\config\100Custom.xml

Permanent Fix:
By applying APAR IC85796 to each server of your environment, this issue is resolved.